1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a cinematograph or motion picture projector in which a cine-film is continuously fed, and in particular to a new and useful cinematograph which utilizes a plurality of lenticules that are moved in synchronization with frames of a cine-film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A film transport in a cinematograph generally comprises a claw escapement of the intermittent feed type in which a claw is engageable with perforations formed along one edge of the film and is reciprocally driven in synchronism with the rotation of shutter blades. This construction requires the intermittent movement of a lever having substantial length which engages with or disengages from the perforations in the film. This, in turn, results in the generation of noises and an increased complexity of the arrangemnt even though the involved mechanism may be improved. The problem of noises represents a degraded quality in projectors of this type, particularly when compared with tape recorders or television receivers. When the cinematograph of the intermittent feed type is employed in a conversion of cine-film into a television signal as in a telecine unit, the differential number of frames per second between a cine-film and a television signal, which may be 24 and 30 frames per second for the film and television signal respectively, has required flashing the light source of the projector at a rate determined by the number of frames of the television signal or varying the escapement rate of the film to achieve the frame rate of the television signal. The required irregular change of the escapement cycle for the film or of the illumination rate of the light source involves a difficulty in the timing control and results in a complex mechanical and electrical arrangement which increases the manufacturing cost of such units.
It is known to overcome the noise problem in cinematographs by using either polyhedron prisms or mirrors which are rotated for purposes of image tracking. A cinematograph of this kind utilizes a continuous feeding of film to reduce the noises to a degree, but requires an increased projection frequency and a separate provision of shutter blades to overcome a flickering during the film projection. The presence of the shutter blades however, further frustrates the minimization of noises. Since the cinematograph again utilizes an intermittent projection of individual film frames, the same problems as to the mechanism and the illumination as in the intermittent transport system remains. In addition, the prism or mirror used, must be of a high precision, resulting in a cost and a complexity which are comparable to or greater than those of the escapement approach.